Activites

• 2004/08/06 Additional information
• 1999/05/01 End of procedure in Parliament
• #2136
• 1998/11/23 Council Meeting
• 1998/11/17 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0649/1998 summary

    In adopting the report by Mr Gerhard SCHMID (PSE, D), the European Parliament approved, subject to certain amendments, the draft framework for action on combating fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment. In order to combat effectively fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment, Parliament called for such fraud to be classified as a criminal offence in all Member States and for perpetrators to be punished. Parliament called for the adoption of a range of measures (including a voluntary undertaking by the industry, legislation or other measures adopted in the context of the internal market) with regard to payment cards (electronic signatures), the use of payment cards on the Internet, automatic teller machines, software and on-line banking transactions. In order to protect the euro, it recommended an exchange of information between the European Central Bank and national central banks and the setting-up of a database containing technical particulars concerning false or counterfeit euro banknotes and coins. It called on the Commission to submit a proposal for a multidisciplinary training programme for officers responsible for combating counterfeiting of means of payment and for the banking and trade sectors. The powers of Europol should be extended to include combating counterfeiting of means of payment.�

• 1998/11/16 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 1998/10/26 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0396/1998
• 1998/09/14 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1998/07/01 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1998)0395 summary

    OBJECTIVE: to propose a framework for action on combating fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment. CONTENT: the need to find a suitable response to the problem of criminal activities involving payment instruments is particular pressing in the light of current institutional, financial and technological changes, especially the changeover to the single currency and the introduction of the information society, which calls for transparent, safe and efficient electronic payment. This communication contains an evaluation of the problem by the European Commission and sets out a framework of measures which seek to promote a suitably ?safe environment? for payment instruments. It comprises two sections: 1) First, the Commission presents a proposal for a draft joint action. The objective of this action is to ensure that fraud involving any non-cash means of payment is treated as a criminal offence subject to effective, appropriate and deterrent penalties in all Member States and to ensure that suitable cooperation mechanisms are introduced so that these crimes can be effectively prosecuted. The join action deliberately avoids terms which are strictly defined under current criminal legislation because they do not cover the same crimes in all countries. The approach chosen relies rather on a description of acts which should be considered as criminal offences throughout the Union. 2) Secondly, a series of additional actions designed to prevent fraud is brought to the attention of all interested parties (payment sector as a whole, including network operators, issuers and individual users, competent authorities etc.). Comments should be sent to the Commission by 31 December 1998. The Commission also states that: - it is currently working on a proposal for a directive which makes provision for a special prudential to guarantee the financial reliability of issuers of electronic money in order to increase consumer confidence in this new means of payment; - it intends to update a 1987 recommendation in order to ensure that the relationship between buyers and acceptors is clearly defined in the field of electronic payment instruments.�

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1998)0395
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A4-0396/1998
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0649/1998

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)